Pond Inlet (Mar 29/04) - The Conservative Party of Canada has named its Nunavut candidate for the next federal election.

Duncan Cunningham, from Pond Inlet, will be running in the next election. Cunningham was the only person in Nunavut to step forward as a Conservative candidate.

Duncan Cunningham is the Nunavut candidate who will represent the Conservative Party of Canada. - photo courtesy of Duncan Cunningham

"I've been thinking about this for a long time," he said. "I finally decided to run instead of sitting on the sidelines."

The most significant reason for Cunningham's interest, he said, is because of the way the Liberal government has treated the territory.

"Since 1993, when the Liberals took over, they have ignored the land claims agreement," he said.

"We haven't had any support from the federal government."

Cunningham has lived in Nunavut for 25 years.

During that time he has served as the executive director of the Baffin Regional Inuit Association and was a director for the department of public works with the Government of Nunavut.

The federal government has not announced when the next election will be held.